The Next Step

Traditional wedding vows run along the lines of: “I, _______, take you, _______, for my wife/husband to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.” However, as society has “progressed” the last phrase of the vow, actually the entire marriage vow itself, has been disregarded.


Staring down those who would strive “to have and to hold” until death are forces to be reckoned with. Divorce rates are on the move with about 41% of marriages ending in the termination of nuptial vows (1.). Along with the rates is the alarming fact that Christian divorces are higher than other religious groups (2.). Moreover, one of the largest areas of influence, entertainment media, is promoting non-commitment to millions of viewers. Brad Pitt announced that he would not marry Angelina Jolie until there was marital freedom for everyone. Oprah Winfrey and her boyfriend of 20 years decided to take the “next step” and move in together. Countless others are pairing up and then breaking up (Jennifer and Vince anyone?).


Yet the world goes on and no one shouts out to them, “That’s just not right!” Why? Why is it that 40 years ago it was inappropriate and looked down upon to “live together”? How can a society 40 years later make room for such nonsense?


The answer is one that, as a Christian, you must always come back to: the problem of sin. However, nonchalantly stating it’s a sin problem is a bit too vague. What specifically about the problem of sin affects this area of life?


“Reason is always reasonable,” wrote G.K. Chesterton. God himself is at the very highest pinnacle, the zenith of the entire universe. From him, reason becomes reasonable. From him comes the very source of reason. Yet from the Fall of man, human beings have desperately strained to replace God with any sort of miscellaneous creations. “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles…They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” (Romans 1:21-23, 25).


We replaced God’s truth for a lie and thereby banished from us the standard of reason. With this removed, living together in marriage relationship but never marrying makes perfect sense! With the standard removed, announcing that you will never marry until there is marriage freedom for all is wisdom! With this removed, we not only continue doing these very things, but also approve those who practice them (Romans 1:32b).


However, we, as Christians, are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9a). We are not to reflect the world around us but Christ Jesus. Sadly, Christians are behaving more and more like the world as seen in the divorce rates, teen pregnancies, etc.


With this knowledge, how should we then live? We are urged by Paul “to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1), with “not even a hint of sexual immorality” (Ephesians 5: 3), worthy of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice. We are chosen so that we “may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9b).


With this knowledge, what is the “next step” for Christians? The glory is that the “next step” has already been taken for us by Christ on the cross. We, then, are to be imitators of God, taking up our cross daily and following after Him. Here and now as Christians let us glance neither to the left nor to the right but, “let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2a).



--HM


1. http://www.divorcerate.org/


2. http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_dira.htm